We are pleased to announce the appointment of four new Partners and four new Principals across our Chicago, New York, London, Los Angeles, and Dubai studios. Leading projects around the world, together, they exemplify the breadth of our practice with expertise designing and managing some of our most ambitious and impactful work. From airports to academic campuses, from London to Los Angeles, these leaders are helping to shape the future of the built environment and our practice.
Expanding our work internationally, strengthening our expertise in project delivery, and demonstrating the value of design with a diversity of client types, SOM’s new leaders embody our commitment to excellence and innovation.
Meet Our New Partners
A design leader in the Chicago and Austin studios, Ryan Culligan leads high-impact civic work, designing large-scale projects that shape communities around the world. From the first new building in the Illinois Capitol Complex in 40 years, to one of the largest ground-up academic medical centers in the United States, to a 53-acre masterplan on a vacant industrial riverfront, he specializes in highly complex programs while finding opportunities to cultivate innovation and prioritize the human experience. For the past decade, he’s led the studio designing installations for the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the residential towers at 400 Lake Shore Drive, the under-construction Concourse D at O’Hare International Airport, and the 20-million-square-foot One Bangkok in Thailand.
Emily Mottolese
Based in Dubai, Emily Mottolese leads SOM’s Middle East practice; her work blends design and management expertise across architecture, interiors, and master planning. Since helping to establish the Dubai studio in 2017 and Riyadh studio in 2022, she has expanded SOM’s presence with transformative projects across the region. Most recently, she has led the development of Atélis, a flagship residential tower in the Dubai Design District (d3), as well as two major projects at Kuwait University—reenvisioning the administrative, and student activities and athletics facilities with 16 new buildings. In New York, she led the development of the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, a diplomatic building that reflects the traditions of Middle Eastern hospitality while harmonizing with its historic architectural context.
Peter Lefkovits led the design of several of SOM’s most award-winning aviation projects—including the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport, praised by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as one of the most successfully delivered megaprojects in the country, and the world’s largest LEED Platinum pre-certified airport project at Kempegowda International Airport Terminal 2 in Bengaluru. He is a driving force behind SOM’s growth in South Asia, having designed the recently completed Carmichael Residences and the Godrej BKC commercial building, both in Mumbai, as well as numerous major projects across the Asia-Pacific region—including developments in Vietnam, Japan, and Korea. Guided by a deep respect for regional building traditions, Peter’s work around the world prioritizes local sourcing, sustainability, and delivery.
Vram Malek realizes some of SOM’s most complex projects in New York City and internationally. From the award-winning Otemachi One in Tokyo, to 8 Shenton Way, a highly sustainable mixed-use development in Singapore, Vram is helping expand SOM’s footprint across Asia Pacific. Ranging from mixed-use developments and commercial supertall towers to residential and hospitality design, his work is guided by careful analysis of urban context, cultural sensitivity, and long-term collaboration. Early in his time at SOM, he helped to lead the design of the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Upcoming projects in New York include 175 Park Avenue, a prominent new tower in East Midtown which reimagines the public realm around Grand Central Terminal. Vram serves as Treasurer of the SOM Foundation.
Meet Our New Principals
With expertise delivering complex projects across a range of typologies and geographies, Tannar Whitney’s experience at SOM spans from being a Technical Coordinator for the expansion of JFK International Airport Terminal 4 in New York to project managing the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City project out of Abu Dhabi. He’s particularly adept at managing the diverse needs of project stakeholders, as evident in his Los Angeles work realizing the award-winning new, modernist bus shelters across the city with StreetsLA. Tannar also leads management of the higher education projects in Southern California and is currently developing two upcoming student housing projects at University of California, Santa Barbara.
An accomplished project manager in our Los Angeles studio, Susan Bartley has more than two decades of experience realizing complex projects for civic institutions, enabling design to flourish in the public realm. She is particularly adept at design-build delivery, having managed the highly acclaimed United States Courthouse in the Los Angeles Civic Center and the Airport Police Facility at Los Angeles International Airport. Currently, she’s leading SOM’s work as Architect of Record on the David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, opening in 2026 in collaboration with Atelier Peter Zumthor.
A leader in our London studio, Ben Ward has designed much of SOM’s growing portfolio of work in the Middle East and Europe. He stewards culturally and regionally sensitive designs at a range of scales, from the masterplan for Sultan Haitham City in Muscat, Oman to the 19-story luxury residential building in the Thames City development in London. He has helped grow our portfolio of sports and entertainment architecture in the Middle East, in addition to leading SOM’s contributions to the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism, a guiding framework for urban development in Saudi Arabia. Ben brings to SOM more than 20 years of experience at several flagship practices working on cultural, heritage, and mixed-use projects.
Elyssa Muldoon Cohen, Esq. has served as Deputy General Counsel firmwide for the last 14 years. Highly skilled in contracts and intellectual property rights, Elyssa works closely with project teams to champion strategies that manage risk and foster enduring partnerships built on transparency and trust. She has extensive knowledge across delivery models, markets, and scales of work, helping SOM expand our breadth of work around the world. An expert in her field, she’s lectured at the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law, Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, and taught contract law as an Adjunct Professor at both New York University and Fordham University while at SOM.
Congratulations to all our new leaders!
